1. Field
The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for stabilizing spent fuel containing reactive sodium metal prior to disposal.
2. Description of Related Art
Sodium-bonded fuel offers safety, cost, and performance benefits when used in a sodium-cooled, fast spectrum nuclear power plant, such as the Power Reactor Innovative Small Module (PRISM) by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH). If such a reactor is not operated in a recycling mode, then the spent sodium-bonded fuel requires direct geologic disposal. In particular, spent nuclear fuels containing sodium, such as fast spectrum, sodium-bonded HTGR fuels (e.g., EBR-II fuels), must undergo special processing prior to disposal in order to meet the applicable criteria of a waste acceptance site. Conventionally, such spent fuels required complete assembly, chopping, and electrometallurgical processing in order to be accepted by a pertinent site for disposal. However, the required special processing of such spent fuels in order to meet the applicable regulatory and repository requirements is relatively invasive, complex, and increases the costs of used fuel disposal.